Propagating: how-to
Spring and Summer are all about growth, growth, growth. Which means it’s the perfect time to learn how to propagate your plants. What is propagating and how do you become a pro at it? Follow along to our steps and learn how to multiply houseplants and build your indoor jungle.
What is propagation?
Plant propagation is the act of taking a trimming of a grown-up plant, placing it in water or soil, and letting it grow its own roots. Through this method you can make dozens of new plants from just one. Sounds too good to be true, right? It’s not! But of course there are things to watch out for if you want to successfully propagate every time.
Materials needed:
How to properly propagate
1. Determine which plant you’d like to multiply
It’s best to choose a plant to take trimmings from that is healthy and has new growths. We recommend starting off with beginner plants like pothos, monstera, spider plant, or sansevieria aka the snake plant, as they’re the easiest houseplants to grow. Snake plants require different methods of propagation and a long time to root, so for now, let’s stick to the others.
2. Identify where your nodes are
Nodes, the part of the stem of a plant where leaves/buds grow from, is what we’re looking out for when we take trimmings for propagation. The nodes of a stem, the little bump where leaf and stem meet, is where growth takes place.
3. Take your pruning shears, place them at an angle, and cut 1cm below your node
Make sure the cutting you take includes at least 2 leaves. This cutting can vary from 10-20 cm in length.
4. Place your cutting in a jar or cup of water
Be sure not to submerge the leaves on the cutting. Set the jar in a place that receives bright, indirect light.
5. Wait and provide weekly care
Now, you can sit back and relax and watch your roots grow. This can take a few weeks. In the meantime, continue to provide your cuttings with fresh water and watch out for any kind of black coloring which would indicate rot.
6. Potting
Once your cuttings have produced 7-8 cm long roots, it’s time to pot those babies up. Take a pot with soil and plant those roots into the dirt. Keep the soil moist for about a week then switch to watering cycles that include drying periods.
Propagating a plant can be an easy and fun activity to learn a little biology and get some free plants at the same time. Once you get the hang of it, you can also gift friends cuttings of your favorite houseplants so they can grow them at home as well. When those offspring grow their own mature plants, send your friends this guide so they can keep passing the plant babies along.
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